Deaf Parents:

By Todd English
May, 10, 2005

Deaf Parents

People in the hearing society
often wonder how deaf parents acknowledge the cries of their baby and
how they teach them sign language with no spoken words. With the
advancement of modern technology deaf parents are now able to be
notified of when their baby is crying through visual and/or tactile
alarms. With the ability to know when the baby is crying, there is still
the matter of how to teach a baby to communicate through the use of sign
language. From studies that have been conducted we know that babies can
learn how to sign before they can learn how to speak (Snoddon, 2000).
This is possible because, “The motor areas of the body mature sooner
than the mouth and other language articulators ( Snoddon, 2000).”

Before the advent of the
modern baby monitoring devices deaf parents had to keep a very close eye
on the baby, since they could not hear the needs of their baby through
their cries (Colclasure, 2004). For some parents this would not be a
problem, but for others with a busier schedule this might be a concern.
On the market today are baby monitoring devices that can help both deaf
and hearing parents alike. These devices have two parts; a sound sensor
that is placed next to the baby and a receiver that is used by the
parents (Colclasure, 2004). The sound sensor detects that the baby is
crying and then transmits a signal to the receiver to notify the
parents. Some receivers are portable, will vibrate and can be used by
deaf and hearing parents alike. However, this is where the similarity
ends. The receivers used by deaf parents are sometimes connected to a
lamp that will flash when the baby cries (Colclasure, 2004). This might
be okay for parents who are light sleepers, but not for deep sleepers.
Parents who are deep sleepers can put a vibrating apparatus under their
mattress. This device will vibrate the bed when the baby is crying (Colclasure,
2004). These modern advancements have not replaced the need for the deaf
parents to place their hand on the baby to ensure that they are
breathing, but they have allowed them to go on with their daily routines
and still monitor their baby (Colclasure, 2004).

Deaf parents, like hearing
parents, teach their babies to communicate through language. This
language is taught to them by either speech or sign language, and
sometimes both. Since infants don’t have the ability to communicate
verbally at a very young age, usually less than 7 months, they use their
hands a lot to grab and touch objects around them. Because of this,
“Sign language in general seems tailor-made for young children (Snoddon,
2000).” Also, because of these motor skills, babies can learn sign
language sooner than they can learn spoken language. In teaching babies
to communicate through language, hearing parents and deaf parents alike
use the same kind of techniques, even though one language involves
hearing and the other involves sight. Deaf parents use sign repetition
to teach their babies what an object is. For example, if a parent gives
a toy doll to the baby they would sign doll many times to associate that
sign with that object (Spencer, 1998). If the parent is signing about an
object that the baby cannot touch or an activity, then the parent will
move their hands or body so that the baby can see the sign while still
looking at the object (Spencer, 2001). To take it even further they tap
on the object several times, before and after signing, to help “the baby
know what your communication is about (Spencer, 2001).” Another
important aspect of teaching sign language is the use of dramatic
expression. The signing parent must use strong facial expressions, like
when hearing mothers raise the pitch of their voice, to help keep their
baby’s attention (Spencer, 1998). Now if babies aren’t paying attention
to the parent as they are signing, the parent can tap the baby to
signal, “Look at me” to get their attention and to teach them to look at
the individual who is tapping them (Spencer, 2001). The last thing that
should be taken into consideration is to let the baby begin the
communication. If the baby is tired or unresponsive then maybe the
parent should let the baby rest and when the baby seems interested and
responsive begin teaching them communications again.

With modern technologies and
patience deaf parents can attend to their babies just like hearing
parents. The only difference between hearing parents and deaf parents is
the way that they communicate.